1001Philosophers

Friedrich Albert Lange 1828 – 1875

Friedrich Albert Lange (1828 – 1875) was a German philosopher of the Modern era, associated with Continental Philosophy.

Friedrich Albert Lange was a German neo-Kantian philosopher and social theorist and the author of the most influential nineteenth-century critique of materialism. Trained at Bonn and Zurich, he spent his career between Duisburg, Winterthur, and Marburg, where he was finally appointed to a chair shortly before his death. His two-volume History of Materialism, published in 1866 and much expanded in 1873 to 1875, traced the materialist tradition from antiquity to the present and argued that materialism, while a useful working assumption of the natural sciences, is metaphysically untenable from a Kantian standpoint. The book shaped a generation of European thinkers, including the young Nietzsche.

Key facts

Nationality
German
Era
Modern
Movements
Continental Philosophy

Selected quotes

  • Attributed to Friedrich Albert Lange:

    “Materialism is a useful method, but a false metaphysics.”

  • Attributed to Friedrich Albert Lange:

    “What we call reality is a representation, not a thing in itself.”

  • Attributed to Friedrich Albert Lange:

    “Idealism is the philosophical conscience of the natural sciences.”

  • Attributed to Friedrich Albert Lange:

    “The labor question is the moral question of our age.”

  • Attributed to Friedrich Albert Lange:

    “Beautiful illusions are also part of human reality.”

Friedrich Albert Lange by topic

Frequently asked about Friedrich Albert Lange

When did Friedrich Albert Lange live?
Friedrich Albert Lange was born in 1828 and died in 1875.
Where was Friedrich Albert Lange from?
Friedrich Albert Lange was a German philosopher of the Modern era.
What philosophical movements is Friedrich Albert Lange associated with?
Friedrich Albert Lange was associated with Continental Philosophy.
What was Friedrich Albert Lange known for?
Friedrich Albert Lange was a German neo-Kantian philosopher and social theorist and the author of the most influential nineteenth-century critique of materialism.
How many quotes are attributed to Friedrich Albert Lange?
There are 5 attributed quotations from Friedrich Albert Lange in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.